Tag Archives: Tri-State Jazz Society

The extraordinary pianist will be playing a solo concert, TICKLING APERITIF, concentrating on the music of James P. Johnson.

The concert, sponsored by the Tri-State Jazz Society, will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2011, 2-4:30, at the Old Pine Street Church, 412 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

What makes that location special is the church’s good acoustics (it’s been used for recording sessions) and the new Steinway piano.

But wait! There’s more! Anyone who has not previously attended a Tri-State Jazz Society concert will be admitted for half-price. High school and college students with IDs and younger children accompanied by a paying adult are admitted FREE. Regular admission is $20, members $10. No advance sales or reservations, so get there early!

Cynthia’s quintet features herself on banjo, vocals, and irrepressible enthusiasm; Charlie Caranicas on trumpet and eloquence; Scott Robinson on many saxophones and gratifying surprises; Mike Weatherly on string bass, vocals, and rocking swing; Larry Eagle on percussive propulsion (also called his trap kit). Having seen and admired Cynthia in many performance settings, I can assure readers that they will be enlightened, entertained, and never bored — her musical and emotional range is wide and deep.

This concert will be held at the Brooklawn American Legion Post at 11 Railroad Ave, Brooklawn NJ 08030. Half-price admission is $10 available for first-time attendees and members. High school and college students with IDs and children accompanied by a paying adult are free. Pay at the door; there are no advance sales or reservations. The American Legion hall is approximately 10 minutes from the Walt Whitman Bridge. For information call (856) 720-0232 or visit www.tristatejazz.org.

Cynthia has accumulated numerous awards and honors, including induction into the National Banjo Hall of Fame. Her most recent CD release, “Attractions,” which includes legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, received two 2009 award nominations. She is also a subject of a PBS documentary about the banjo, expected to be aired in 2011. Please visit www.cynthiasayer.com for more about Cynthia, the band, their concert performances and samples of music and video recordings.

The splendid pianist and singer Mark Shane (here captured by “Opening Minds” at a gig last April) has been making more recordings here and there, but we haven’t had the good fortune to have gigs by Mark to report.

Good news follows! I read in the Skylark Strutter, the newsletter of playing the Tri-State Jazz Society, that Mark will be playing a solo piano gig on February 15 at the Grace Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware. On April 17, he’ll be part of Jim Fryer’s Borderline Jazz Band, co-led by Bria Skonberg, and a month later (that’s May 17), he’ll be an essential member of Dan Levinson’s Swing Wing, with Randy Reinhart, Molly Ryan, Matt Munisteri, and others.

A gig that doesn’t have an appearance by Mark (but he’d fit right in) is Marty Grosz’s “The Hot Winds,” this version featuring Dan Block, Vince Giordano, and Scott Robinson, on March 29.

The moral of this posting? Be sure your 2009 calendar is easy to annotate, and check the Tristate Jazz Society’s website (www.tristatejazz.org) and ask for an email subscription to the Strutter, which apparently lists every concert going on in the area. Well worth perusing and supporting.